Kiko 488 (Pearly Golden Camellia) Nail Polish Swatch & Review

Is this thing still on ?

Oh my, how long has it been since I last posted ? It feels like years. To be quite honest, I wasn't really motivated. I do have a bunch of posts almost written and some pictures are edited, but I just never get around to actually posting. Real life has kind of gotten in the way, and I've been working on my baking/cooking blog (though I haven't posted there yet), so this blog was just sort of forgotten. 

Today I'm back with a polish post (duh) for Kiko's 488 shade, Pearly Golden Camellia.

This polish is a gorgeous peachy pink with gold flecks. It is absolutely beautiful, perfect for Spring/Summer. I got it almost opaque with a couple coats. You can see I have some visible nail line, but it didn't bother me that much. It stayed chip-less for about 4 or 5 days.

Honestly, my pictures don't do it justice. Damn you, cloudy day. 

As I was taking my swatch picture I had a sort of lightbulb moment looking at the bottle, and got Kiko's Strawberry Pink polish out of my stash, as I thought they looked similar.

And I was almost right !It turns out they only look like they're the same color, and 488 (on the right) is like 360's (on the left, obviously) darker, sparklier sister.

Kiko Nail Polish Swatches : The Round Up

Hi everyone ! 

I've tried several of Kiko's nail polishes, and I've posted swatches and reviews of them on the blog separately. I know how annoying it can be when you're shopping online, looking for swatches of a colour and have to dig through several posts to find them - especially with the colours on Kiko's website, which can be quite different in real life. I thought I'd regroup every Kiko nail polish swatches I have in this post, so you can see them all in one glance, and if you want to read the review, then you'll just have to click on through. I'll update this post regularly when I try out a new colour ! The polishes are sorted by number (lowest first).

Latest buys & mini reviews

I'm back today with a few new things I wanted to show you !

First up is this Labello/Nivea Lip Butter in 'Original', which I've wanted for a long time. I already own Raspberry Rosé and Vanilla & Macademia and I wanted to try this one as I am pleased with the others. I love it ! It doesn't really have a scent, so if you'd love to try these lip butters but can't stand the scents, this one's for you !

Next up : Nail polishes ! Again, I know. These were a gift from my Mom for Easter. They're from Rojo Intenso. I tried to look the brand up online but couldn't find anything... Have you ever heard about this brand ? I've tried the first one on the left and I wasn't disappointed ! I'll post a swatch soon. I can't wait to try the rest of them !

And finally, I bought the Rimmel Soft Kôhl eye pencil :

I needed a new eye pencil as mine were old and I got this one from Rimmel. It was the cheapest I could find, between 3 and 4€, and it does the job perfectly (I use it on my waterlines). It doesn't run and stays put all day, so I'm really glad I got this one !

So, here you go, a bunch of mini reviews. Now, your turn : what's the last thing you bought ?

Le Petit Cliché Chic Nail Polish Swatch & Review

It feels like life has been put on fast forward lately ! With the weather warming up, days have been spent outside, and I'll admit that I am way behind on post writing and picture editing. I wish there were a way to pause time !

I'm back with a quick post today for a Le Petit Cliché nail polish from this haul : Chic.

Chic is a beautiful dusty, dark pink. As much as I love a glitter polish, sometimes it feels nice to go back to "basics" with a creme. This one applied perfectly (don't mind the bubble on my pinky, that was my fault), and was opaque with 2 thin coats. It stayed chip-free for about 3 or 4 days, without base or top coat.

Okay, now I have to try and get my posts organized (and maybe I'll, you know, write them)...

Kiko Haul #2

These past two weeks were a blur ! It just went by crazy fast and I barely had time to write a post.
So, finally, here's another haul, this time from Kiko.

A couple (maybe three ?) weeks ago, Kiko was offering a free lipstick for any order (something to do with international lips day or week, if I remember correctly). That was enough for me to go look around their website and see what could possibly catch my eye. I found a few things I wanted to buy, but ended up not ordering. Then a couple days later, they sent another email, saying delivery would be free on any orders. Free lipstick and free delivery ? You don't have to tell me twice ! Free delivery especially was nice, as there's an order minimum of 25€ on the website, which can be quite annoying. But I'm rambling now, so let's move on.

I got 2 lipsticks on top of the free one (which was a Smart Lipstick in 914 Amaranth) : Smart Lipstick in 913 Rosewood (3,90€) and Ultra Glossy Stylo in 811 Raspberry (4,90€).

I already own a Smart Lipstick (912 Crimson Red) and love it, and I wanted some new lipsticks, so I got those. I probably spent two hours searching swatches online, and another hour making my choice, but I love the colors I picked ! Reviews should be coming soon.

Next up : Nail polishes ! 

I got two for my sister (498 Pearly Cherry Purple and Fancy Top Coat nail lacquer in Red, the two middle ones in the picture above) and 4 for myself : 347 Dark Green, 494 Pearly Amaranth (the last two in the picture above), 488 Pearly Golden Camellia, and Fancy Top Coat nail lacquer in 660 Dahlia Purple (the first two in the picture).

The Fancy Top Coat lacquers were on sale for 1€, so I jumped on them, and the other ones were 2,50€.

And the last item I bought was their Hand & Foot Stone Scrub for 5,90€. A little pricey, but I want summer ready feet, and I really wanted to try out a scrub.

Now I just have to try out the polishes (I have so many new polishes to wear !) and write reviews for the lipsticks !

Do you see anything you'd want to get for yourself ?

Le Petit Cliché Madona Nail Polish Swatch & Review

Next up from from my polish haul is Madona !

Madona is a black jelly with red microglitter. I applied 3 coats, as I still had some visible nail line after the second coat. Like with Hollywood, the first coat was streaky, but the second one made everything look better. It also dried super fast ! I was worried that with 3 coats, I'd end up with sheet marks all over my nails the next day, but nope ! I had nothing !
The polish held up for 4 days without chips, without base or top coat.

Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Diva Red (500) Swatch & Review

Here's a review for Rimmel's Moisture Renew (or Hydra Renew here in France) lipstick in Diva Red !

The Moisture Renew lipsticks were on sale for 3 something euros back in December (instead of 5 or 6€, so they're still pretty cheap even full price !) so I grabbed Diva Red, as I wanted a bright red lipstick for the holidays.

Moisture Renew lipsticks are enriched in Vitamin A, C, and E for intense color and moisture. Rimmel claims these lipsticks are "ultra lightweight, comfortable to wear all day".
I wasn't disappointed by the color of Diva Red at all. It's a beautiful red that makes you feel like a grown up. It's the brightest red I own and definitely an "in your face" color, but it can still be worn everyday and not just for parties or special occasions.

The lipstick isn't drying at all, and it lasts on my lips all day. It does tend to run in the lines around your mouth if you're not careful and apply too much product, but if you apply a first coat, bloat the excess product using a tissue, and apply a second coat, the lipstick won't run as much.
Scent wise, the lipstick smells really nice. It smells fresh and powdery, maybe a little like baby wipes. You can't taste it once it's on your lips.

All in all, I love this lipstick, and I will for sure try other colors for the Moisture Renew line !
Do you own any Moisture/Hydra Renew lipstick ?

Le Petit Cliché Hollywood Nail Polish Swatch & Review

Here's the first Le Petit Cliché polish I tried from this haul.

Hollywood is a black jelly polish with blue microglitter.
I applied two coats of polish. The first one was streaky and a little uneven, but the second coat made everything perfect. The polish started chipping four days after I applied it (without base or top coat), which is enough for me as I usually get bored and want to change the color on my nails by then ! 
Also, please excuse the rough looking cuticles. They've been pretty bad recently. Does anyone have a favorite cuticle care product they use ? I've got my eyes on Sally Hansen's Cuticle Eraser (I think that's the name, it's that green and white swirl thing), has anyone tried it ?

Le Petit Cliché Haul

Hello ! Just popping in very quick today with a nail polish haul !

These Le Petit Cliché polishes were only 0€85 ! I'd never heard about this brand before, so I did some research. Cliché is a cruelty free Portuguese brand, and the polishes are 3-Free. I got 11 bottles of polish, which, yes, okay, is a lot, but they were a bargain.

Here are the names of the polishes (from left to right on the first picture) : Chic, Desfile, Rose, Violet, Purpura, 80-60-86 (I have no idea why the name consists of numbers for this one), Bleu, Hollywood, Madona, Vert, New York.

Here is the website written on the bottle : fcapelo.com

I've already tried 2 of them, and I'm really pleased with them so far. I'll be posting swatches so make sure you come back to read more about them !

Rimmel Glitter Bomb nail polish in Bedazzle Swatch & Review

Today's post is a swatch and review for Rimmel's Bedazzle, from their Glitter Bomb collection.

Bedazzle is a mix of pink, teal and navy hexagonal glitter, with some small navy glitter thrown in. I read it's a dupe for OPI's Polka Dot Com, which I don't own, but it has been on my polish wish list for a while now. I looked up swatches of Polka Dot Com online, and yep, Bedazzle is a dupe for sure.

I wore 2 coats of Bedazzle over Kiko's Mint Milk. I really loved this combo.

Application was a breeze, you really don't need to move the glitter around or place it much, the base isn't too thick or too runny, and the polish held up really nice, even without top coat. I can't even pick a favorite between this one and Midnight Mistletoe.

Do you own Bedazzle or Polka Dot Com ? Or maybe both ? What do you think of them ?

E.L.F. Nail Polish in Gold Star Swatch & Review

I feel like if I had to have only ONE kind of glitter polish, it'd be a gold one. Gold glitter goes with everything. Especially red. I just love those two colors together.

For years now I've been wearing Maybelline Colorama's Honey Cristals around Christmas and New Year's, which means the polish is slowly running out. I decided to find a new gold glitter, and since I had to place an order on Eyes Lips Face, I thought I'd try one of their polishes. I got Gold Star, which is a mix of gold hexagonal and small glitter.

I wore 2 coats of Gold Star on top of Kiko's Martha Red. Application was... well, it wasn't as easy as I thought it'd be. The clear base is thick, and the brush doesn't get a lot of glitter out of the bottle, so you really have to place and move the glitter around. The polish (which has a strong smell, almost like glue) took a long time to dry... and it didn't held up long on my nails (I got my first chip a day after applying).

All in all, I loved the look of Gold Star, and for 2€50, it's fine, but if you're looking for the perfect gold glitter, I don't think Gold Star is it.

February Reads

It's been a while since I've posted a reads post ! Let's say I've not read as much as I could have these past few months, mostly because I've been watching movies before bed instead of reading. I still managed to read some books though, and here they are :

Shopaholic Abroad/Takes Manhattan (L'Accro du Shopping à Manhattan), Sophie Kinsella : I'm a sucker for chick lit and I've been wanting to read the rest of the Shopaholic series ever since I read the first one years ago. Unfortunately, I just did't enjoy this one as much as the first one. It took me forever to finish it even though it's a pretty easy read. I still want to read the other books, but I'll put off reading them I think.

Abandon trilogy, Meg Cabot : Now these books, though, I loved them. I read all three back to back. If you're thinking about reading them, you should definitely buy them all at once, as they all end on a cliffhanger... And you'll want to start the next one right away. They're basically one story cut into 3 books. It's probably targeted more towards teens/young adult, but they're really enjoyable.

Mad About The Boy, Helen Fielding : Bridget Jones' Diary is probably the first ever 'grown up' book I read when I was younger and mostly reading about teenagers. I finally got around to reading the third one and boy was it good. I laughed, and I cried, and you should really pick it up if you've read the first two.

Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn : I'm guessing by now everyone's heard of Gone Girl. I'd managed to stay away from spoilers (about the movie and the book) and I thought I'd read the book before watching the movie. Oh. My. God. This book is a page turner, I didn't want to put it down. I read it in five days. The ending ! Argh! If you've not seen the movie yet but want to, I think you should read the book first (and even if you've seen it). The movie, although it is a perfect adaptation, has less details than the book, you get to really understand what's going on in the characters' minds.

Some books were read in French (I added the French title for those) while some were read in their original versions. I thought I'd mention it, as I feel sometimes translation can make a difference whether I like a book or not.

Labello (Nivea) Fruity Shine lip balm in Strawberry & Cherry Swatch & Review

Today's post is a review for Labello's Fruity Shine lip balm in Cherry and Strawberry.

The Fruity Shine line claims to hydrate your lips, all while giving them some shine and color.

Here is the lip balm in Cherry :

This one definitely shows on my lips, I love the color. It smells delicious but you can't taste the product once it's on your lips.

Here are the pictures for the lip balm in Strawberry :

This one doesn't show up as much as Cherry does, although you can tell I have some color on my lips. It smells like Strawberry candy, but again it doesn't have any taste.

I have to say I'm really pleased with these two lip balms. They hydrate my lips, and even though the color and shine don't hold up on my lips all day, I don't feel like I have to re-apply constantly for my lips to feel smooth and hydrated.

They're not the most pigmented lip balms ever invented, and depending on how much you apply, they do give a nice wash of color to the lips. On days when I don't want to bother with lipstick but still want to look like I at least tried to look nice, they're more than enough. 

I definitely want to try the other colors in this line (I think there are two more, Peach and Watermelon) !

Have you tried these ? What's your favorite lip balm ?

Rimmel Glitter Bomb nail polish in Midnight Mistletoe Swatch & Review

Here's the polish combo I wore on New Year's (which, yes, I know, was a while ago) :

I wore 2 coats of Rimmel's Midnight Mistletoe, from the Glitter Bomb collection, over OPI's Green-wich  Village.

Midnight Mistletoe is a mix of red, silver and green hexagonal glitter, and some small green glitter. This polish definitely screams Christmas, and I love it !

The polish was super easy to apply, the brush will get enough glitter out of the bottle to cover the nail, and you can definitely layer it without feeling like your nails are suffocating under a ton of the base polish.

Bottom line : if you love the mix of red and green glitter in polish, try to get your hands on Midnight Mistletoe !

NOTD : Bourjois 1 Seconde Prune Stellaire (n°9)

Hey everyone ! Long time no nail polish post, huh ? Well, here's one !

 

Today I have Prune Stellaire (or number 9) from the Bourjois 1 Seconde line. This is an oldie (sorta). I bought this in 2011 (I think ? Or early 2012) at a discount store, and I'm about 80% sure that this was one of the first colors Bourjois released from the 1 Seconde line.

Prune Stellaire is a beautiful deep plum with pink glitters that shows more in the sunlight. It was hard to capture it on camera. I applied 2 coats and removed the polish 6 days later, and only had some tip wear. Yay for long lasting polishes !

 

But what exactly is the 1 Seconde line ? Well, the back of the polish says 1 nail = 1 stroke = 1 second, with 50 seconds of drying time. Do I agree ? Definitely. Now obviously application time also depends on the size of your nails, but with a brush that size, 1 stroke = 1 nail for me, for sure. The brush is wide and flat, and I don't have any problem with it polishing my cuticles at the same time as I'm doing my nails. It might look a little scary but it's honestly one of the easiest brush I've used, and the shape of the handle really helps.

I took a picture of the 1 Seconde brush next to OPI's brush (this is Gouga Gouda Two Shoes), so you can compare.

Have you ever tried a Bourjois 1 Seconde polish ? What's your favorite nail polish brush ?

September 2014 Reads

I definitely didn't read as much this month as I did in August, but I did manage to read a couple books. Here they are :

Vanity, Vengeance and a Weekend in Vegas, Kyra Davis : This is the 6th book in the Sophie Katz series by Kyra Davis. I read the first five back in February/March, and really loved them. They're chick lit mixed with mystery and I couldn't put them down. But for this one, I had a harder time getting into the story. I don't know if it's because I read the other books in French and this one in its original version, but it took me longer to finish it. I didn't have that "oh God what's happening I have to read the next chapter" from the start, like I did with the other. I did read the last few chapters in one go, though, and I'd definitely read the next one if there's one.

You're The One That I Want, Giovanna Fletcher : Because I loved Billy and Me so much, I figured I'd read YTOTIW. Like with Billy and Me, I'd only seen positive feedback for this one, and was worried I'd be disappointed. Well... I was a little. I did like it, but I didn't love it. It took me a while to get into the story and finish the book. I was also a bit disappointed by the ending because SPOILER I felt like Maddie stayed with Rob because she had to, not because she loved him. I honestly thought that the kid in the epilogue would Ben and Maddie's, not Ben and some random girl's child. /SPOILER. It's definitely a good read, I love the writing style, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would.

What did you read this month ? Do you have any book recommendations for me ?

August 2014 Reads

Okay, I know that when I say I'll try and do a monthly [insert word here], I never do it. I don't even have any excuses for forgetting about it. Buuut, because I'm stubborn, I thought I'd try something different. How about a books-I've-read-this-month type post ? Are you in ? Yes ? Okay !

I mentionned that I went on holiday in August, and I always always read a lot on holiday (which is why I'm very glad to now have a Kindle. So much room left in my suitcase ! Not having to worry about running out of books !)
Here are the books I've read in August !

The Boy Next Door (Melissa et Son Voisin), Meg Cabot : I read this a long time ago, while on holiday with a friend who'd bought the book. I wanted to re-read it, as I love Meg Cabot's books. It's a very easy and fast read, and it's really fun. The text consists of emails between the characters, which means there are no long chapters  you might have to worry about finishing because you have to do something else (I absolutely hate putting a book down in the middle of a chapter).

Billy and Me, Giovanna Fletcher : I'd heard such great things about this book that I put off reading it, as I was worried I'd be disappointed. I finally decided to read it, and I loved it ! I think I read it in 3 days, and I was very glad to have sunglasses on as I read the ending !

Good in Bed (Alors, Heureuse ?) & Certain Girls (La Fille de sa Mère), Jennifer Weiner  : I read both books back to back, so I guess I did kind of like them. I did have a hard time really getting into the story for the first one (mostly because I didn't understand why the character would still be hung up on her boyfriend) but I enjoyed the second one a lot more. Again, prepare to tear up at the ending.

Eleanor and Park, Rainbow Rowell : This book ! Aah ! I read it in a day ! It rained all day that day so we didn't do a lot, and I couldn't put the book down. I absolutely LOVED it ! Although I wish we could have known a little more at the end, it's still a very great read.

Wedding Night (Nuit de Noces à Ikonos), Sophie Kinsella : I really enjoy Sophie Kinsella's books and chose to read this one. And I have to say that although I liked it (I managed to get through it, although it took longer than the other books) I was a little... disappointed, I guess. I felt like nothing really happened, and there was no "Oh my, I can't put this book down" going on. Maybe I expected it to be something else, I don't know. It's still worth checking out, though !

And there are my August reads ! Have you read any from this list ? What books did you read this month ? Do share !

Some books were read in French (I added the French title for those) while some were read in their original versions. I thought I'd mention it, as I feel sometimes translation can make a difference whether I like a book or not.

NOTD : Maybelline Mini Colorama in Urban Lemon

Long time no see ! But I'm back with - yes, again - a nail polish post. Spring is definitely here and the need for bright colors on my nails is back too. This is Maybelline's Urban Lemon from their Mini Colorama range, a bright lemon yellow polish.

(I'm again very sorry for the poor state of my cuticles. I ran out of my holy 

grail cuticle cream and I keep forgetting to buy more.)

Urban Lemon stayed perfect on my nails for 5 days. After that, desert-like cracks start to show on the polish, and it starts to chip (following the cracks). Five days is still long for a polish, so I'm fine with it.

Application was streaky, but it's a yellow so that is to be expected. You just have to be light on the brush. I managed to get away with two coats and it was opaque (Although you can see some nail line on my index finger. I guess I had less polish on the brush for that finger than with the other ones.)

Do you have a yellow polish ? Or several yellow polishes ? What's your favorite one ?